Alright.  You are in sales or sales leadership.  You are a goal driven machine.  You are able to leap over tall buildings with a single bound!

Now what?

The first half of 2014 is over.  You are finishing up the second quarter.

What’s next?

If you don’t already know the answer to that question, you are already behind.

Do you have a pipeline that will generate the sales you need for next quarter?

What are the names of your potential customers and your existing customers that will contribute to your target?

Take a look at the asset value of your current pipeline.  What is your current closing percentage?  If you close that percentage of your current pipeline, what sales volume and commission income will you generate for your family?

Every company requires that certain sales projections be turned in on a regular basis. Most require quarterly and annual goals and reviews.  If your company does not require such things, you should absolutely require them of yourself.  These reviews and projections should be for the purpose of keeping score and making strategy adjustments.

But the real key to navigating projections and reviews without getting really bogged down in the detail machine is simple.

IGNORE THEM! 🙂

Don’t misunderstand me on this.  Your company and your sales leadership team must have mechanisms in place that provide for coaching, accountability and growth.  Projections and reviews are an important part of that.[lightbox link=”https://jeffcwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/quantum-leap.jpg” thumb=”https://jeffcwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/quantum-leap.jpg” width=”300″ align=”right” title=”quantum leap” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=””]

But for your personal sanity – and your success – you must treat goal periods like the “string theory” of time from the old TV show, Quantum Leap. The “string theory” of time (in layman’s terms) says that time is not linear.  But all time exists at all times.  Instead of a string stretched out – it is a string wadded up into a ball.  So theoretically, timelines should almost run together.

Applied to sales it means this:

  • Sales time does not stop at the end of a quarter or year
  • You should already know some or all of the places you are going next week, next month, next quarter and next year
  • The closer the time frame, the more accurate your plan will be
  • The further out the time frame, the less accurate your plan will be

Keep a good calendar or CRM system.  Plan your follow up calls.  Add time for new opportunities.

Then JUMP.

QUESTION: What will your sales volume be during the week of May 7th, 2015? Just kidding. 🙂 My Aflac friends will chuckle over that one.